In the future, will tech companies resist the urge to censor and hand over user data to repressive regimes or cooperate for financial gain? That was the question put to more than 1,000 tech insiders recently, with a little over half hopeful that the former would come to pass.

According to a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, about 51 percent of respondents said that by 2020, tech firms would be obligated to protect citizens being attacked or challenged by their governments. About 39 percent, however, thought that tech companies would minimize association with dissidents in order to remain in good standing with autocratic governments.

Of those who elaborated on their selections, many conceded that it "is their hope more than their prediction" that tech companies would move to value human rights over profit.

Several participants concluded that "norms, market pressures, and white-hat hackers will help dissidents in authoritarian-run regions in the long run."

Jonathan Grudin, principal researcher at Microsoft, said that Western governments are also guilty of protest monitoring. But, "firms that try to control content in response to government intervention will risk being abandoned in droves, and thus forced to stick to a reasonable path," he suggested.

Still, others said the long-range trend is toward more surveillance.

Ross Rader, general manager at Hover and board member of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, suggested that "for each organization that chooses to stand up to the demands of a dictator or tyrant, another will step in to fulfill the request."

But should we fear the tech companies more than the regimes? Ondrej Sury, chief scientist at the .CZ Internet registry, predicted that "governments becoming the puppets of big companies and not the big companies dancing as the governments whistle."

The Pew report comes one day after the U.N. Human Rights Council affirmed that "the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression."

The resolution called on member states to "promote and facilitate access to the Internet" and stressed that the Web "can be an important tool for development and for exercising human rights."

About the Author

Before joining PCMag.com, Chloe covered financial IT for Incisive Media in NYC and technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's deg... See Full Bio

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